On March 13, 2020, the Governor of California issued executive order N-33-20, which ordered among other things, "...all individuals living in the State of California stay at home or at their place of residence..." In observance of this order (Concept Seven), Al-Anon groups in District 8 have, by group conscience, stopped congregating for in-person meetings (Tradition Four).

Some groups have decided to suspend their meeting until the public emergency has passed. Other groups have decided to adopt videoconference meetings. These types of meetings are known by difference names: web conference, video conferencing, conference calls. They allow members to participate in a virtual meeting over the internet or via telephone conference call. Some options allow voice and video, other options offer only voice.

In a Special District 8 meeting held on March 20, 2020, the groups in the District, by group conscience, adopted the use of Zoom Video Communications (Zoom) for groups in the district that wish to use the service. The adoption of Zoom in no way implies affiliation with (Tradition Three) or endorsement of (Tradition 6) Zoom. The District, in service to the groups (Concept One), is paying for Zoom services. Groups in District 8 have the option to utilize a District Zoom account at the discretion of each group. Groups are autonomous (Tradition 4) and may decide to use any other service or none at all.

If a group is interested in utilizing the District Zoom account, a designated representative from the group should contact Steve W. at stevewashwell@gmail.com. Steve will coordinate with the District webmaster to have the meeting link placed on the meeting page, along with dial-in options for members who do not want to participate via computer, tablet, or smart phone. Regardless of whether a group uses the District 8 Zoom account, the information for videoconference or web conference can be posted, if is the wish of the groups.

Questions and concerns around this initiative should be directed to Alejandra O., District Representative for District 8, DistrictRep@AlAnonSantaBarbara.info.

Additional Resources

• Al-Anon Fact Sheet for Electronic Meetings (S-60 PDF)